Improvement in music-leaf turners



Patented Dec. 24, 1872.

ITIIIITIII Music-Leaf Turners.

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GEORGE ROBE, OF MCDONALD, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT l N MUSIC-LEAF TURNERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 134,221, dated December 24, 18772.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE Bonn, of Mc- Donald, in the county of Washington and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and Improved Music-Leaf Turner, of which the following is a specification:

Figure l is a front elevation of a piano-forte provided with my improved music-leaf turner. Fig. 2 is a top view of the same. Fig. 3 is a detail vertical sectional view of one of the turning-arms and its attachment to the supporting-pin. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section thereof, both Figs. 3 and 4 being on an enlarged scale.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

This invention relates to a new attachment to pianofort'es, melodeons, or organs, for turning over leaves of music by means of pedals, and without necessitating the use of the hands for that purpose. The invention consists in the arrangement and connection with each other of a series of vibrating arms by which the music is turned and held in any desired position; also, in the combination of the aforementioned devices with rods, levers, &c., that connect with pedals, so that the player may, by means of said pedals, cause the vibrating frames or arms to be swung in either direction, thus attaining full control over the music, which may be swung back and forward at pleasure.

In the accompanying drawing, the letter A represents a piano-forte of suitable kind. B is the music-rack of the same attached by suitable means and provided with top and bottom ledges a b, which form horizontal projections for the reception of the vertical shafts G 0. These vertical shafts have spring-arms (I which embrace and hold the leaves of music, so that each leaf of music may be attached to and held by one of the pins. Above the top lodge a the shafts or pins (3 C have projecting arms 0 6, respectively, which are swiveled to the pins or shafts in the manner clearly shown in Figs. 3 and at. The tubular portion fof each arm 6 that embraces the pin 0 has a short slot, as in Fig. 4. Through such slot projects a pin, 9, from the shaft 0. This slot arrangement gives to the arm 6 a short independent play on its supporting-shaft. Strings or cords h, connecting the several tubes f together successively, cause the motion of one to be in a limited degree imparted to its neighbor, as hereinafter more fully described. The arm 0, which is furthest to the right-hand side, is shorter than the one next to it, and this again shorter than its neighbor to the left, and so on, the arm which is furthest to the left being the longest; also, the arm most to the left is higher than the one next to it, this again higher than its right neighbor, the one most to the right being lower than all the rest, as indicated in Fig. 1. Each arm 0 has at its outer end a downward projection, 6. Owing to the varying lengths of the several arms 6 and to the differences in the positions of their supporting-shafts O, the downward projection i of each of the arms 6 will be in the same place exactly whenever such arm is swung aside to project directly toward the right from its supporting-pin. I) is a pedal connecting by a rod,j,' with a bell-crank, l, at the back of the piano, from which bell-crank an arm or pusher, E, extends forward toward the upper part of the music-rack. The front end of the pusher E rests on the top of the ledge a, and fits between friction-rollers on, which are its guides. At the commencement the several arms 6 e are all swung to the back, except the one most to the left, which is swung to the right-hand side, as in Fig. 2. In these several positions of the parts the clamps cl will all stand toward the right, and thus hold the music-book sheet, except the front page, which is in view. As soon as the first leaf is to be turned the pedal D is depressed, and the pusher-rod E thereby moved forward against the pendent portion iof that arm 0 which is held in its way by the lateral position of such arm. The forward motion of the pusher-rod will cause the arm 6 that is struck by such rod to be swung to the left and its supporting-shaft O to be swung accordingly, which will also cause the music connected with such shaft to be turned over to the left. This motion of the said arm. 6 will also affect the next longest arm e, for the swinging arm will, by means of its cordconnection h, draw the next longest arm into the same lateral position which was formerly occupied by the first arm, so that the pend ent portioni of such second arm will be in position to be struck by the pusher E at the next movement of the treadle D. This operation is continued, each arm as swung to the been turned over to the extent desired or to the extent of the apparatus. F is another treadle connecting by a rod, n, with another bellcrank, 0, at the back of the piano. The bellcrank 0 connects by a rod, 10, with a bell-crank, 1', that is pivoted to the top ledge a at the lefthand end thereof. The bell-crank r connects with a slide, 8, that moves within proper guides on the ledge a. A finger, t, projects from the slide s. The longest arm e, when swung to the left, will strike against the finger t. All the following arms will rest against the tubular swiveled portions f of their predecessors.

Whenever it is desired to turn the music back it is only necessary to depress the treadle F, and thereby move the slide s to the right, which will cause the finger t to carry and swing the longest arm c'back to its former position. Whenever the longest arm is so swung to the right, the contact of the leaf, which its support 0 holds with the other leaves, will cause the entire book to be folded back to the right, and thus also cause all the arms e to re sume their original position.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. The arms a e of Varying lengths applied to the music-holding shafts (J, and connected with each other by strings h, substantially as herein shown and described.

2. The pusher E connected with the treadle D, and arranged in combination with the vibrating arms 6 to strike the pendent portions 6, as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The slide 8 connected with the treadle F, and combined with the arms 0, to carry the same to the right, substantially as specified.

' GEORGE ROBE.

Witnesses:

HENRY O. MoEWEN, JOHN TURNER. 

